Don’t they normally serve milk in those little miniature cartons?
“Where do you keep the floor sealant?”
“In the fridge, next to the milk.”
What the fuck! Is this for real? In what world are people not being immediately dismissed and facing prison over gross negligence?
Stranger
It’s for real. I saw it in the Anchorage Daily News yesterday. Luckily for all involved, this stuff is not very toxic and only mild stomach upset was reported. But heads will roll, I’m sure.
Quote from today’s article:
"All food items including milk from a dispenser were provided by a contractor and served by staff. The breakfast items were put on trays, which students took to tables to eat.
Shortly after, children began complaining that the milk tasted bad and caused burning sensations in their mouths and throats.
After school district and contract personnel looked at the container label, it was discovered the clear plastic bag of milk that had been placed in the dispenser was actually a floor sealant that resembles the milk."
My employer (food processing facility) has a strict policy that EVERY container with something in it (or had previous contents before 3X rinsing) has a label on it. Fireable offense if you don’t label a container after putting something in it.
I’m slightly surprised that they didn’t use those little cartons or Tetra Pak containers of milk but instead poured it into individual glasses.
And the article linked to in the OP seemed really lazy in that the only source was the statement on the school district website. Whatever happened to calling up and getting more details?
Life imitates SNL.
No problem on that score, the container was properly labeled. Unless you mean they should have read the label before serving it to the children.
Wait a minute. Milk in a bag?
Dammit. The Canadians did this to Alaska.
The store I work for provides groceries to multiple local daycares. None of them buy the single-serve milk containers, they buy it by the gallon because that’s a LOT cheaper. On the other hand, milk containers are sealed and clearly labeled “milk” which makes them a big easier to tell apart from “floor sealant”.
Regardless, big screw-up. They’re very, very lucky it wasn’t a worse outcome.
Prediction betting: How much will the settlement checks total?
It sounds like the school had a milk dispenser – if it’s what I think it is, it’s conceptually like a soda dispenser, where you put the cup under a spout, push a lever or button, and it pours milk from a reservoir into your cup.
That sort of dispenser typically uses a large bag filled with milk, which is then replaced with a new bag when it’s empty. Here’s a picture of one of those, with the panel open to show the innards, including the milk bag:
Great username/post combo.
On the bright side, it was lactose-free.
Alaskans are tough. So far, a handful of kids reportedly asked for seconds.
/s
Despite a claim to the contrary, milk in a bag is cheaper. I just checked with our grocery store and 2 l. of the brand we use was $5.29, while 4 l. (distributed into 3 bags) is listed at $9.29, although it is on sale this week at $7.29. We always buy the bags since they are cheaper. We have a plastic pitcher that holds one bag.
OK, even granted that those are Canadian dollars, all of those prices are way higher than in the US. Around here, the family-sized container of milk is 1 gallon (about 3.8 liters), and if it goes over $3.49, that’s considered expensive. According to Google, your “cheap” price is currently the equivalent of 6.79 USD/gal.
I can’t find floor sealant at less that $25 a gallon. So even if the children had not complained of burning throats, the accountants would have caught this eventually.
“That makes 6 children who have died this week.”
“That is certainly a cause for concern.”
“Also, we have lost nearly $100 replacing the sealant that was served as milk.”
“This is an OUTRAGE! Heads will roll!!!”
I feel like the parents should cover this.